Opie, Ontraport’s AI chat assistant, can build automations for you. Describe what you want an automation to do in plain language, and Opie proposes the triggers, steps, timing and branches for you to review. Once you approve it, Opie builds and checks the map, then saves it as an unpublished draft.

Nothing runs until you open the draft in the Automation Editor, finish any remaining setup and publish it yourself. You can also ask Opie to explain any saved automation, including one someone else built.

Building automations with Opie is available on all account levels. Building and explaining automations with Opie currently does not consume AI credits. AI Assistant elements within a published automation use credits when they run. Opie only uses automation elements you could add yourself, so what it can build depends on your plan, add-ons, user permissions and account setup. For example, SMS steps require SMS to be set up in your account.

Table of contents

What Opie can build
Build an automation with Opie
• Start from the Automation Marketplace
• Start from Opie
• Review and approve the proposed flow
Finish and publish your draft
Ask Opie to explain a saved automation
Writing a good request
Limits in this version
Troubleshooting
• Opie can’t use an element I asked for
• Opie picked the wrong email, tag or form
• Opie didn’t save a draft
• An email in my draft is empty

What Opie can build

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Opie builds automations for Contacts. A flow can include:

• One or more triggers
• Actions, like sending an email, adding a tag or creating a task
• Waits
• Splits, including nested and random splits
• Forks
• Goals
• Go To elements

When you name an email, tag or form that’s already in your account, Opie uses it. If more than one matches, Opie asks you to choose. If you mention an email or tag that doesn’t exist yet, Opie asks before creating it.

Build an automation with Opie

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You can start a request from the Automation Marketplace or from Opie. Either way, you review the same proposal before anything is built.

Start from the Automation Marketplace

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1. Go to Automations → New Automation. If you’ve turned on other objects, like Companies or Deals, go to Contacts → Automations → New Automation instead.
2. In Help me build an Automation at the top of the page, describe what should start the automation and what should happen.
3. Click Build. Opie opens in full screen and starts working on your request.
4. If you haven’t already accepted Opie’s terms, review them and click Agree and continue.

Start from Opie

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1. Click the Opie button in the bottom-right corner of a supported screen.
2. Type your request in the Ask Opie field and press Enter. For example: "Build a welcome automation for contacts who submit my consultation form. Send my existing welcome email, wait two days, then create a follow-up task."

Opie shows its progress while it works out the flow and finds the assets you mentioned.

Review and approve the proposed flow

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1. Answer any questions Opie asks. If you mention an email or tag that doesn't exist yet, confirm Create new to add it. Opie lists any new email that will still need content.
2. Review the proposed flow. Opie lists each trigger and step in order, with the email, form or tag it selected for each one. Check the trigger, timing, branches and assets, and note any setup Opie says is still needed.
3. On the confirmation card, choose one of these, then click Submit Answer:
   • Yes to build the automation and save it as a draft.
   • No to cancel.
   • Other to describe changes, like adding a step, changing a wait or using a different email. Opie updates the proposal and asks again.

Opie doesn’t build or save anything until you choose Yes. Then it builds the map, checks it and saves it as an unpublished draft. If it can’t build a valid map, it tells you and nothing is saved.

Finish and publish your draft

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1. Click Open in app on the Open in Automation Editor card. The draft opens in the Automation Editor, and Opie stays open in a smaller panel.
2. Review each element in the map, including the trigger and wait settings.
3. Add content to any new emails Opie created. Opie creates new emails without content, and their Send Email steps show as incomplete until you finish them. You can still publish an automation with an empty email, so be sure to finish every email first.
4. Configure any Webhook or AI Assistant elements. These settings can need manual setup.
5. Click the checklist icon to make sure all important elements are configured.
6. Click Publish → Save & Publish to go live. Click Save if you’re not ready to launch your automation.

Opie builds new automations only. To change an automation after it’s saved, edit it in the Automation Editor. Learn more in Create custom automation.

Ask Opie to explain a saved automation

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Ask Opie what an automation does, and it walks you through the triggers, steps and branches in plain language. For example, you could ask:

• "Explain what my Consultation Form Welcome Automation does."
• "What happens after a contact enters my webinar follow-up automation?"

Use the automation's name as it appears in your account. Note that Opie explains the last saved version of the map, so save any changes you've made in the editor before you ask.

Writing a good request

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• Say what starts it. "When someone submits my consultation form” gives Opie a clear trigger.
• Use the names you see in the app. Name emails, tags and forms the way they appear in your account so Opie selects the right ones.
• Include timing. "Wait two days" or "the day before the webinar" tells Opie where waits go.
• Describe any branches. For example, "If they bought the course, tag them Customer. Otherwise, send the reminder email."
• Build one automation per request. Start a new chat with the + icon for the next one.

Limits in this version

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• Opie only builds automations for the Contacts object.
• Opie builds new automations. You can refine a proposal in the chat before it’s saved, but changes to a saved automation happen in the Automation Editor.
• Opie never publishes an automation. You always publish it yourself.
• New emails Opie creates have no content.
• Webhook and AI Assistant elements can need manual setup.
• Explanations use the last saved version of the automation.

Troubleshooting

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Opie can’t use an element I asked for

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Opie only uses elements you could add yourself, and it tells you why an element isn’t available. The reason is usually your plan, an add-on, your user permissions or account setup, like SMS not being set up yet. Fix the setup or ask an admin, then ask again, or ask Opie to build the flow without that element.

Opie picked the wrong email, tag or form

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The proposal names each asset Opie selected, so check them before you approve. If one is wrong, choose Other on the confirmation card and tell Opie which one to use, by its name as it appears in your account.

Opie didn’t save a draft

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If Opie can’t build a map that passes its checks, it tells you and saves nothing. Follow any guidance in its response and try again. If it keeps failing, start a new chat with the + icon, or contact Support with your request and the message Opie showed.

An email in my draft is empty

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That’s expected for any new email Opie created. Open the email from the map, add your content and save it before you publish the automation.